Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen Statement on the National Vetting Center

Release Date:

February 6, 2018

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryContact: 202-282-8010

WASHINGTON – Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen released the following statement on President Donald J. Trump’s signing of a National Security Presidential Memorandum to establish a National Vetting Center (NVC):

“As part of the President’s efforts to raise the global bar for security and protect Americans, we’ve put in place tougher vetting and tighter screening for all individuals seeking to enter the United States. The National Vetting Center will support unprecedented work by DHS and the entire U.S. intelligence community to keep terrorists, violent criminals, and other dangerous individuals from reaching our shores. This is yet another step towards knowing who is coming to the United States – that they are who they say they are and that they do not pose a threat to our nation. Our frontline defenders need real-time information to protect our country, and the Center will ensure they are able to fuse intelligence and law enforcement data from across the government in one place to detect threats early. As part of this effort, DHS and its partners will make certain that mechanisms are in place to ensure that the National Vetting Center is able to accomplish its mission while protecting individuals’ privacy, civil rights and civil liberties.”

The NVC, which will be housed within the Department of Homeland Security, will help fulfill the President’s requirement that departments and agencies improve their coordination and use of intelligence and other information in the vetting process.